One-of-a-kind production refers to the manufacturing of highly customised products tailored to specific customer requirements. In this context, the ability to effectively reuse knowledge is crucial, as it can significantly reduce production time and costs. However, the feasibility of Knowledge Reuse in One-of-a-kind production remains uncertain, due to the lack of studies examining how conditions in One-of-a-kind production influence the emergence of barriers to Knowledge Reuse. This research aims to address this issue by systematically mapping the characteristics of product development processes in One-of-a-kind production companies against the most common barriers to Knowledge Reuse. The results are shown in matrix form (the BROK matrix), representing the relationships between characteristics and barriers. The findings indicate that extreme customisation under time pressures, the continuous influence of customers, the high uncertainties caused by the Once-successful approach, and the high-level concurrency, combined with the limited resources available, significantly impact the Knowledge Reuse process at multiple levels. Finally, an industrial case study was conducted to validate the BROK matrix. The results of the semi-structured interviews show a strong alignment between the barriers suggested by the BROK matrix and those observed by the production managers.
Barriers to knowledge reuse in new product development for one-of-a-kind production / Marongiu, Giovanni; Bruno, Giulia; Chiabert, Paolo. - In: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PRODUCTION RESEARCH. - ISSN 0020-7543. - ELETTRONICO. - (2025), pp. 1-21. [10.1080/00207543.2025.2534452]
Barriers to knowledge reuse in new product development for one-of-a-kind production
Marongiu, Giovanni;Bruno, Giulia;Chiabert, Paolo
2025
Abstract
One-of-a-kind production refers to the manufacturing of highly customised products tailored to specific customer requirements. In this context, the ability to effectively reuse knowledge is crucial, as it can significantly reduce production time and costs. However, the feasibility of Knowledge Reuse in One-of-a-kind production remains uncertain, due to the lack of studies examining how conditions in One-of-a-kind production influence the emergence of barriers to Knowledge Reuse. This research aims to address this issue by systematically mapping the characteristics of product development processes in One-of-a-kind production companies against the most common barriers to Knowledge Reuse. The results are shown in matrix form (the BROK matrix), representing the relationships between characteristics and barriers. The findings indicate that extreme customisation under time pressures, the continuous influence of customers, the high uncertainties caused by the Once-successful approach, and the high-level concurrency, combined with the limited resources available, significantly impact the Knowledge Reuse process at multiple levels. Finally, an industrial case study was conducted to validate the BROK matrix. The results of the semi-structured interviews show a strong alignment between the barriers suggested by the BROK matrix and those observed by the production managers.Pubblicazioni consigliate
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https://hdl.handle.net/11583/3002009